Latest news with #ShanPillay
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Six MKP members in KZN defend their vote against the Division of Revenue Bill
The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature building in Pietermaritzburg. Image: Shan Pillay One of the six Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) members of KwaZulu-Natal legislature who voted against the Division of Revenue Bill has defended their decision and accused the party MPLs who supported it as out of line. In an unprecedented move, six party MPLs broke ranks with the caucus and voted against the bill while 31 other members supported during the chamber sitting last week, prompting calls for action against the 'rebelling' MPLs. The member who spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday denied going against the party's position, saying it was him and other five members who kept the long-standing position and voted against the Bill. He stated that firstly, the new chief whip never called a caucus meeting before voting and there was no new instruction for members to vote in a particular way therefore the six of them followed a long-standing position that the MKP will never support anything that comes from the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) since the party believes the elections were rigged. 'We hear people saying we undermined the party's instruction and we wonder which one because we never received any instruction to vote for this bill nor were we called to a caucus meeting before voting. In the absence of any new instruction, we decided to follow the long-standing position we were given when the government was constituted last year that our party will not support any thing that would come with the GPU since we were robbed of an opportunity that was given to us by the voters to be the government of the province,' said the member. Furthermore, the member said to prove that they were not wrong, the party has not charged them after explaining their side to the provincial leadership under convener Willies Mchunu. The member further said that in their engagement with Mchunu it "became clear that it was an oversight from those who supported the Bill". However, the party chief whip Bonginkosi Mngadi disputed the member's version that there was no meeting or mandate to support the Bill. He stated that he called a caucus meeting where he informed the members of the position and even articulated the position when he spoke for the party before voting for the Bill. 'I am chief whip of the party in the legislature and spoke in the chamber that the party will support the Bill since it was talking about transparency and accountability so I was speaking on behalf of the party,' said Mngadi. He said he would not want to discuss the matter further since it was reported to the provincial leadership. Attempts to get Willies Mchunu were unsuccessful. There was also confusion when the same Bill was voted in parliament on Wednesday where the MKP chief whip Colleen Makhubekele voted yes for the bill only to change her vote later, arguing that she thought the vote was about the Ad hoc committee on allegations of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu's interference in police operations which we were reported by KwaZulu-Natal provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. [email protected]
IOL News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Transforming KZN's approach to flood disasters for lasting change
The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature in Pietermaritzburg Image: Shan Pillay KwaZulu-Natal Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) called for permanent solutions to address flooding and displaced families on Thursday. The MPLs were debating on a report tabled in March by Premier Thami Ntuli on communities in distress due to the province being engulfed by floods. There were also concerns about the KZN Department of Transport and Human Resources' purchase of the Montclair Lodge from Transnet for R33 million to house flood victims as one of their interventions. Blessed Gwala, IFP chief whip, said the refurbishment of the Montclair Lodge should be expedited to meet the December deadline. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ He also called on traditional leaders to exercise greater responsibility when allocating land near riverbeds or flood-prone areas. According to him, municipalities should enforce existing by-laws to prevent high-risk developments. Gwala stated he was awaiting an update on the parcels of land earmarked for housing and emphasised that investments must be made in drainage infrastructure, as flood damage diverts crucial funds to disaster response. Hlengiwe Mavimbela, ANC MPL, warned that every cent allocated must go towards flood recovery and not for electioneering or inflated contracts. According to Wiseman Mkhize of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, inadequate drainage system upkeep and water catchment area management were the main causes of the floods. Marlaine Nair, MPL and DA KZN spokesperson on CoGTA, said the provincial government should shift from reacting to disasters to being prepared for them. 'Floods continue to devastate the same vulnerable communities in KZN. This is no longer simply a climate issue – it is a governance failure, more precisely at the local government level. Poor planning, underfunded infrastructure, and sluggish service delivery have turned natural hazards into human disasters,' Nair said. She said that one of KZN's biggest risks lies with its almost 1,000 informal settlements, often located on riverbanks, flood plains, or over pipelines. 'These are the result of housing backlogs and people seeking opportunity in the city, only to end up renting from shack-lords on dangerous land. Existing settlements must be made safer through proper upgrades.' Nair added that the municipalities must urgently assess the state of this infrastructure, clear maintenance backlogs, and allocate dedicated funding for ongoing repairs and upgrades. Hannah Lidgett, MPL DA, stated that the sustainability and strategic direction of disaster management systems must be interrogated. 'If our approach continues to be reactive rather than anticipatory, we risk repeating this cycle. Why are stormwater systems absent in flood-prone areas? We need planning and forward-thinking governance. We have a disaster strategy rooted in response rather than in resilience,' Lidgett said. Mongezi Twala, EFF MPL, said taxpayers' money was wasted by renting hotels for flood victims. He said people continue to live in poor and hazardous conditions. 'A lot of money is being released for short-term repairs and interventions, with R185 million spent on temporary accommodations, but there are no plans to build houses.' Themba Mabaso, an MKP MPL, stated that poor urban planning and inadequate waste management, and environmental degradation have worsened the impact and need to be addressed. Siboniso Duma, MEC for Human Settlements, said 1,200 families were living in temporary accommodations and that his department is accelerating the construction of houses for the flood victims. 'We are dealing with these issues daily,' he said. Premier Ntuli stated that MPLs had come forth with good solutions, adding that approximately 108 houses will be built in Cornubia as a permanent solution. 'We faced challenges with certain land parcels where residents were opposed to low-cost housing being built,' he said.
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
AGSA report reveals mismanagement in KwaZulu-Natal infrastructure projects
The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature in Pietermaritzburg, where the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) presented its findings on contractors appointed to key infrastructure projects in KwaZulu-Natal that were not qualified or capable of performing the required work leading to substandard quality and cost overruns. Image: Shan Pillay The Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) found contractors appointed to key infrastructure projects in KwaZulu-Natal were not qualified or capable of performing the required work, leading to substandard quality and cost overruns. The AGSA found that the KwaNqetho Reservoir in the eThekwini municipality, a critical water infrastructure project, was delayed because of mismanagement. In addition, the material used around the reservoir platform indicated poor backfilling compaction, particularly on the steep slope of the reservoir. Nomalungelo Mkhize, AGSA Business Unit Leader in KZN, presented the local government audit outcomes of the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA) to the KZN Legislature-Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) on Tuesday. The AGSA looked at 15 infrastructure projects in the eThekwini, Msunduzi, uMhlathuze, KwaDukuza, Okhahlamba and uMkhanyakude municipalities. The AGSA said there were five new projects and 10 projects where they did follow-ups on the prior year findings and continued auditing the project as part of its life cycle. The AGSA also audited existing infrastructure which they identified in different stages of a project life cycle including wastewater treatment works, solid waste, landfill sites and roads. The AGSA found that the Mkhizwana Water Treatment Works project in eThekwini was delayed by 221 days due to gross negligence in the preparation of designs and drawings. Also, the Nondabuya Water Supply Scheme in the Umkhanyakude was delayed with only 726 of 1,811 households being connected to the reticulation system. The AGSA found that installation was in a worse condition compared to the previous audit. Other infrastructure delivery weaknesses include the Austerville Substation south of Durban, which was intended to supply increased and stable electricity to industrial, commercial and residential customers. The project has been in the planning phase for 15 years. The AGSA stated that this project faced significant delays due to project mismanagement, planning inefficiencies, contractor-related issues and financial mismanagement. The AGSA said that the civil works portion of the Austerville project was originally planned to be completed by 18 August 2021. However, due to multiple stoppages, the project was delayed, ultimately leading to the termination of the contractor on 25 January 2023 with only 63.97% of the work completed. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The Namibia Stop 8 Housing Project in eThekwini, aimed at delivering 343 housing units, remains behind schedule with only 29 units completed as of September 2024. The AGSA raised concerns regarding project oversight, resource allocation, and contractor accountability. Its' report stated that causes of delays were due to poor quality cost overruns and service interruptions, largely due to inadequate project planning and needs assessment. The AGSA found that many of the projects suffered from inadequate needs assessment and project planning. It found numerous cases, where the contractors were appointed were not qualified or capable of performing the required work to meet the agreed upon standards. This included delays in meeting milestones and failed to adhere to contract specifications leading to substandard quality and cost overruns.
